Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman says his rival Colby Covington brought out the best in him.

Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) was twice brought to the brink by Covington in their title fights, but outlasted him and emerged victorious. Usman scored a late TKO over Covington in their first fight in November 2019, then knocked him down twice in the rematch en route to a unanimous decision victory at UFC 268.

But it wasn’t just Covington’s skills that Usman had to deal with. Covington didn’t mince his words in the build-up to their fight, something “The Nigerian Nightmare” appreciates in hindsight.

“I say it all the time and I know people can’t believe that I actually say, ‘This is thanks to Colby Covington,'” Usman said on the “Weighing In” podcast. “I used to hear it all the time when people would say, ‘You need a dance partner. You need a great dance partner.’ And he was.”

“In that fight, in that first fight, the tension was so high that it was a big challenge for me to prepare, train and go out there and just get into the zone. It was almost addictive, that zone where I don’t care what happens.”

Usman is set to exchange blows with welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, who he previously admitted has lit a fire under his feet. Usman, who is currently on a three-fight losing streak, explained that ultimately self-motivation is the most important thing.

“It’s great to have a rival like that,” Usman said. “I learned very early on that I’m very self-motivated. I am. But I also learned very early on that it’s a fight against myself. I always want to prove myself wrong, and a lot of those fights I was shocked myself and thought, ‘Wow, I actually did that. I was really fighting for it in my mind.'”